Chain conveyer



R. W. PATTEN, D. G. DAVIS AND E. L. BURLEIGH.

CHAIN CONVEYER. APPLICATION FILED DEQ. 22, I917.

Patented Mar. 30, 1920.

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RALPH W. PATTEN, DAVID GNDAVIS, AND EDWARD L. BURLEIGH, 0F SCRANTON,

' PENNSYLVANIA.

CHAIN CONVEYER.

Specification of Iietters Patent.

Patented Mar.30,1920.

Application filed December 22, 1917. Serial No. 208,466.

DAVID Gr. DAVIS, and EDWARD L. BURLEIGH,"

citizens of the United States, residing at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new. and useful Improvements in Chain Conveyers; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to chain-conveyers, and particularly to flight and link structures thereof. 4 r

In the making of repairs and replacement of parts and the adjustment of the same, much valuable time is lost because of the necessity of entirely removing a link or links from a chain to permit removal of a flight or chair therefrom, and again because it is necessary to slacken up the chain-belt by considerably running up the foot or tightening wheel to permit the removal of a link.

It is, therefore, among the more important objects of this invention to provide a chain and flight structure whereby the time taken for making various adjustments or replacement of parts is materially shortened; the necessity of entirely removing a link with a'flight is entirely eliminated, and the desired security and rigidity of connection is accomplished.

With these, and other objects in view as will be readily manifest to those skilled in the art, the invention consists of the construction, combination, details, and the arrangement of parts as-more fully set forth in the following specification wherein one embodiment of the invention is described as shown in the accompanying drawing, in which 7 Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of two links and a flight.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4: is a detail front perspective view of the chair.

Fig. 5 is a plan in partial section of a pair of links showing relative position of the parts to permit removal of the cross-pin, which is shown as turned with its T-heads parallel the length of the link.

The chain is made of a plurality of links shown here as comprising a center, female block link 2 of oblong elevation with rounded ends 3, and sides indented at 5, the shoulders 6 being square, and outside complementary paired link sections 7. The sections 7 are duplicate, and, therefore, are interchangeable, and each is of such construction that it may be reversed end for end ifdesired.

Each of the center or block links 2 and the side link sections 7 are of hollow form that is, each isprovided with a slot or slots 8 of suitable length and diameter to receive a cross-pin 10, having a diameter approxis mating the width of the slots 8, this pin having at each end a T-head 11, the heads 11 being parallel to each other and extending in a common plane diametrically across the axis of the pin 10, the length of the heads 11 being here shown as substantially equal to the width of the link components of the chain, the ends of the outside or male link sections 7 being provided with respective seats 12 of a width substantially equal to the width of the T-heads 11 of the pivot pins, and into which the projecting portions of the heads are adapted to snugly seat when the rounded ends 'of each of the links 2 and 7 are brought 'into concentric relationas by the pulling of the central or female link 2 to one end of the outer pair of link sections 7, so that the cylindrical body of the pivot pin 10 bears respectively in the rounded end portions of the slots 8 in the chain.

It is one of the important objects of the present invention to provide a link construction which will facilitate the rapid disconnection of any of the links atany desired point in the chain belt with the minimum amount of slackening of the chain, and to recessing or rabbeting the inner surfaces of i which this may be withdrawn the relative position of one end of the central link 2, and permit the thickened adjacent 'ends of a pair of the link sections 7, which are connected by a cross-pin 10, to substantially telescope laterally into the recessed or rabbeted portions of the center block chain 2, this being made possible by the link sections 7, as at 13, a suflicient distance so that when the inside and outside link sections are relatively longitudinally shifted as above mentioned, the thickened end portions 14 will pass into the seats at, thus contracting the grouped link ends a distance sufiicient to clear the inside surfaces of the cross or T-heads 11, so that these may be rotated freely when removed from their seats 12 in the outside link sections. When thediametrically extending cross T- heads are turned to lie parallel with the length of the links, as shown .in 5, the pivot pin may then bewithdrawn laterally through the alined openings 8 of the contracted link ends. To facilitate the rotation of the ivot pins 10, one or both of the heads of the same may be provided with polygonal shoulders or cap portions 10 From the above it will be seen that it is only necessary to slacken up the foot wheel or tightening device of an endless chain belt just sufliciently to permit the desired pair of link ends to be shifted longitudinally on each other to allow the links to relatively contract and clear the cross-pin 10, and after from the chain by a transverse movement through the link apertures 8.

It is another and important object of the present invention to provide for the ready and rapid removal or dismounting of a conveyer flight from a conveyer chain, and to that end our invention further consists in the provision of a unitary or integral chair, generally indicated at 15, and comprising an upright flange or seat 16, from which rearwardly projects a baseplate 17 adapted to rest upon the top of one of the center or female block links and having downwardly projecting parallel spaced ears 18 of a depth below the base 17 substantially equal to the thickness of a center link, and of a length substantially equal to the length of the indented recesses or seats 5 on the sides of the block link so as to snugly fit against the shoulders 6 thereof, so that these two parts when assembled are rigid and secure. The inside surfaces of the ears 18 are spaced apart obviously a distance substantially equal to the width of the central portion of the block 2 between the parallel longitudinal surfaces of the seats 55, and if desired, bracing webs 19 may be provided to reinforce the ears 18 below the base 17. -This latter may also be provided with a eter substantially equal to the width of the slot 8 in the center block or link, and through this slot and these apertures may be passed a polygonal bolt 21, having a head 22 onone end and a threaded portion at its opposite end to receive a nut 23 passed over the projecting threaded portion of the locking bolt 21. The polygonal body of the bolt fitting the slot of the center block 2 prevents the bolt from rotating, fits the apertures in the depending ears.

This chair is' provided at its lower portion, and projecting in front of the upright seat 16, with a rectangular shoulder 25, and in front of this there is spaced a hook portion 26, between which andthe face of the shoulder 25 is provided a space to receive the lower edge of a washer plate 27 perforated at 28 to receive fastening bolts 29, which are adapted to pass through a flight plate 30, having a notch at 31 to pass over the shoulder 25, which latter locks the flight plate 30 against shifting movement when it is clamped between the washer plate 27 and the upstanding seat 16 of the chair by the bolts 29. The lower edge of the flight plate 30 rests upon a forwardly projecting shoulder 32 extending along the front edge of the base of the chair, and carries at its transversely projecting lower corners a set of removable and duplicate wearing shoes 33 which are detachably secured to the plate 30 by bolts 34.

From the above it will be seen that we have provided a unitary chair which is adapted to be securely and rigidly mounted upon a central link of a chain conveyer, and is readily detachable by the simple removal of the bolt or bolts fastening it to the center block link, and it will be seen that it is not necessary to remove a link or links of the chain in order to remove the flight chair from the chain, nor is it necessary to remove the chair from the link when it is desired to insert a new flight plate 30, By the provision of the removable and renewable washer plates 27 the durability of the flight plate 30 is greatly increased as the wear of the bolt heads upon this plate is entirely removed and taken by the washer plate 27.

Whatwe claim is:

1. In a chain having rabbeted links overlappable into collapsed relation for removing a coupling pin, an outer link having transverse recesses at the hubs, a coupling pin with a head seatable in one of said recesses, and a projection beyond said head for facilitating removal of said pin.

2. In a chain, pivoted links overlappable I and it also snugly into collapsed relation, one link provided overlappable into collapsed relation for re- 10 I with a recess on the outer side, and a block moving coupling pins, and a flight block in said recess for preventing overlap. seated in a rabbet and so positioned as to 3. In a chain, rabbeted links overlappable normally block an overlap.

5 into collapsed relation for removing coupling In testimony whereof We aflix our signapins, and a member seated in a rabbet and .tures. so positioned as to normally block an over- RALPH W. PATTEN. lap. in a DAVID Gr. DAVIS.

.4. In a conveyer chain, rabbeted links EDWARD L.'BURLEIGH. 

